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doug maxfield

For some bizarre reason, I have been trying to get a little more involved with fisheries management as of late. Nothing crazy, just making some noise regarding topics I know very little about. Par for the course.

Last night I took part in a conference call to brainstorm about how we should combat consolidation issues created by sector management. Naturally, folks on the council looking to consume allocation think that the issue of consolidation is a myth. They claim that the industry is over-capitalized and therefore not making any money. I’m still waiting for an accurate account of revenues in the day boat fishery to be released; a before and after snapshot of profits. One that would account for all of the smaller operations that aren’t fishing at all anymore. Having seen one very well-respected young fisherman sell out recently; and hearing through the grape-vine that several other key players in the Gloucester day boat fleet are planning on doing the same I’ve got a feeling that the program has benefited exactly who NOAA wanted it to benefit. Don’t get me wrong: this is not a pity party for those choosing to sell out. They will be paid huge for their allocations and will be just fine. No shame in that…they’ve earned it.

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Host Noah and Emcee Joey Ciaramitaro hold the first 2011 Man vs. Food Challenge at the Farm Bar and Grille. special Thanks to Brad, Noah and Ryan from the Farm Bar and Grille for once again pulling off an over-the-top event. the Fifth Leg of the GMG Man vs Food Series is in the books. Look for our next event once again teaming up with the Farm for Mussel Mania in May.

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The question thousands have been asking is if Doug Maxfield will step up and take the Farm Bar and Grille DTF Burger Challenge next Thursday night and compete against such luminaries as Ed “I’ll do anything” Collard", Frankie The Silver Bullet Gwynne, Jeremy The Great Jewish Hope Goldberg and Patrick Lederhosen Ryan.

Maxfield- The man behind my favorite blog NorthShoreWaterman, and the most honest fisherman I’ve never met has yet to be heard from but inquiring minds want to know if he will enter the competition Thursday night at The Farm.

Could we potentially see Maxfield’s name on the same plaque as Dangerous Dick Low and Big Lar?

Researchers make key observation about animal behavior patterns

March 26, 2009

Northeastern University and MIT researchers have observed—for the first time—the origin of a mass gathering and the subsequent migration of hundreds of millions of animals. Utilizing a new imaging technology invented by the researchers, they were able to instantaneously image and continuously monitor entire shoals of fish containing hundreds of millions of individuals stretching for tens of kilometers off Georges Bank near Boston.

They found that once large shoals of Atlantic herring reach a critical population density, a “chain reaction” triggers the synchronized movement of millions of individual fish over a large area. The phenomenon is akin to a human “wave” moving in a sports stadium. They also observed that the fish “commute” to the shallower waters of the bank, where they spawn in the darkness, then return to deeper water and disband the following morning.

The findings, published in the latest issue of Science, confirm general theories about the behavior of large groups of animals that, until now, had not been verified in nature. Previously, these theories for diverse animal groups, ranging from flocks of birds to swarms of locusts, had only been tested with computer simulations and laboratory experiments.

“As far as we know, this is the first time we’ve quantified this behavior in nature and over such a huge ecosystem,” said Nicholas C. Makris, professor of mechanical and ocean engineering at MIT, who co-led this project with Northeastern professor Purnima Ratilal.

Any fisherman who has looked down on a school of fish from up above can tell you this. From the dock when you see the little schools of baby mackerel and as soon as the lead fish turns the entire school turns the same direction in wave-like fashion.

These scientists must have been from the midwest or something because anyone that has spent any amount of time as a fisherman could have told you this for centuries.

They coulda bought me lunch and saved themselves a whole lot of research dollars. I would have told them, LOL

Eagerly awaiting what Doug Maxfield (the maniac that writes my favorite blog) has to say about this.

File under: Duh!,Captain Obvious Awards

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UGHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Wasn’t it just last year when they said they wouldn’t sell lobsters any more because they considered it inhumane to hold them in crates?
Read Doug Maxfield- the most honest fisherman I haven’t had the pleasure to meet.

Bloomberg business published an article this week regarding Whole Foods efforts to apply sustainability ratings to its seafood (http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9I73COG1.htm). With Walmart and Target Corp removing several species from its retail stores this past year and Trader Joe’s announcing that it will only sell sustainable seafood by 2012, the green wave continues to spread. And, while these companies simply want to make tons … Read More

If there is one blog to subscribe to I would say subscribe to Doug’s but there is no button on his blog to subscribe that I can find. So the next best thing to do is what I always advocate for readers of this here fancy blog- bookmark it and check back often.

Click the link above to read what Dave has to say. If what he says is true (and believe me I can’t even begin to understand how complex it all is) the way of life of the independent fishermen in Gloucester Ma will be lost forever within a generation.

i’m not sure how many people understand how sweeping the changes will be to our port but if it all is privatized the way it sounds like it’s going, go grab all the copies you can of John N Morris’ book Alone At Sea about the Schooners and Ron Gilson’s book about the waterfront An Island No More because the way of life as independent fishermen in Gloucester will be history and those two guys captured it in a real (non-romanticized way) better than anyone.

Unfortunately for the industry guys like Doug Maxfield don’t get book deals. His truths and clear cutting of the bullshit that gets reported about commercial fishing for one reason or another gets ignored by major media and instead bananheads with very little real commercial fishing experience get anointed experts in the field.

In the current day and age when it is so fashionable to hop on the green train the general public and even worse- food writers buy into whatever crap the environmentalists label green or not green or safe or not safe and more often than not once one of these people say it’s so the rest of the minions of loyal environmentalists fall right in behind them without ever doing real investigative work for themselves.

They ought to talk to guys like Doug or better yet read his blog- North Shore Waterman for the real deal.

Like the header for his blog?

It’s from a picture I took.

Here is your warning-Doug is RAW. If you are offended by sexual innuendo or harsh truths with extremely salty language about all things commercial fishing don’t bother going there.

But if you want to read about what is really going on in the fishing industry from a back man’s perspective check out Doug’s blog and make it part of your daily reading.

Here’s the first post that I’d suggest you read to further illustrate why I think Doug Maxfield should be the guy that gets the book deal-

So I’m on the crapper the other day, and with no other options within a step the width of my under-pants, I found myself flipping through the New Yorker. Wouldn’t you know it I found an article about the tragic state of the worlds fisheries (http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2010/08/02/100802crbo_books_kolbert?currentPage=1). Always interested in people’s take, I read it. HOLY-SHIT. Do people outside of the industry and the towns of New Bedford and Gloucester actually believe any of the tripe?

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Free GMG Gloucester Sticker

As long as supplies last if any GMG folks want a bumper sticker but can't drop down the dock, just send a self addressed and stamped envelope longer then 7 and a half inches and I'll drop one in the mail for you.

Send the self addressed and stamped envelope to the dock at 95 East Main St Gloucester Ma 01930 care of Joey (put my name in big letters to make sure it gets to me)

Free GMG Gloucester Sticker

As long as supplies last if any GMG folks want a bumper sticker but can't drop down the dock, just send a self addressed and stamped envelope longer then 7 and a half inches and I'll drop one in the mail for you.

Send the self addressed and stamped envelope to the dock at 95 East Main St Gloucester Ma 01930 care of Joey (put my name in big letters to make sure it gets to me)